Misty Dreams

Chapter Seventeen

Card Captor Sakura

starjade

A Shock

It was hard trying to survive at the Li household. It was hard to walk around and ignore the hostility. Sakura honestly didn't know how people could live like this. Ridiculed and hated every day of their lives. She just wished they could accept her, or at least leave her alone.

More for Syaoran's sake, then hers.

Syaoran was now hovering over her like a bee to a flower. It was getting annoying-not the fact that Syaoran was always around her, but to the fact that her crush was now growing. It was getting harder to mask her adoration for the Li Prince and not express it at all. And it was getting harder to stop the tears from falling whenever Lady Rita would arrive.

Lady Rita was never in a good mood when Sakura would arrive. Sakura had to give her credit-she was a splendid actress. Only Sakura could see the thinly veiled hatred in her beautiful cerulean eyes. So Sakura tried to stay away from the couple-especially since the wedding was just days away.

Syaoran was doing a good job of keeping the Duke away from Sakura. Ever since that fateful day, Sakura had not seen him, only from afar. It would probably be a mistake for him to try and insult Sakura anymore, with the fact that a marriage was about to take place.

Sakura was hell bent on trying to finish the shirts. She had almost finished four. Two more shirts left. The end was near..... she hoped. She hoped her brothers would finally be set free of their curse-and they could take back their kingdom and their country....and their father.

Closing her eyes as she dreamed of the day that they would all be set free of the curse, she imagined what she would say to Syaoran.

'Thank you?' she thought. No, that was too formal. ' You have become very dear to me?' Nope, not what she was looking for..

" I love you."

That was it! But then her heart stopped as she jerked up. Someone had said those three words!! Who?

Her eyes found Syaoran and Lady Rita standing near the front parlour. Lady Rita was staring at Syaoran, her eyes blinking beautifully, clasping onto his hand tightly. Syaoran looked uncomfortable, but managed to cough in response.

Lady Rita stared at him, still waiting, but Syaoran had spotted her. Sakura wanted to hide behind the curtains but Syaoran had already shouted her name.

" Keili!! What are you doing here?" Syaoran cried, his voice unnaturally loud. Sakura could feel Lady Rita's eyes burning into her and she lowered her own.

Sakura shrugged and Syaoran frowned as he saw the starwort on her lap and the swollen hands that clutched the needles. " Keili...."

Sakura looked up at him, sheepishly and Syaoran scowled. " I don't like you hurting yourself like this! You're doing something crazy, but I guess you have a reason for it. I just wish I knew what it was."

Sakura smiled at him gently, but then jumped as Syaoran reached for her hand, touching it lightly. Sakura winced. She didn't want him to see her hands like this. Large, purple and swollen it was a gruesome sight and she wanted to hide them but Syaoran didn't look repulsed. He looked sad.

" Keili-" He started.

" I'm sorry if I'm interrupting, but Xiao-Lang, we must head to the dress fitting! Have you forgotten?" Lady Rita announced loudly.

Syaoran jerked and stared around himself, wide eyed. " Yes-yes, I know-"

" Then let's leave!" Lady Rita cried, not acknowledging Sakura's presence. She grabbed Syaoran's hand and dragged him out of the room. Sakura watched after him, longingly. Sometimes she wished....but it was too dangerous to wish. Too forbidden. She'd just have to shut it all up and wait for the day that her brothers would finally be free.

Finally..

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" I'm sooo excited!" Tomoyo bubbled happily, bouncing her baby son in her arms as she squealed. " A wedding! It's been so long since we've had one in the castle. There was a big load of them a couple of years ago when Syaoran's sisters got married, but their all in different kingdoms....but now, Syaoran is getting married!"

Sakura nodded dumbly, wanting Tomoyo to stop talking but Tomoyo didn't get the hint. " I mean, this is finally the day. Lady Rita may not have been the perfect person I'd have chosen for Syaoran....but she would make a good queen."

Sakura flinched. Of course...Lady Rita would make a beautiful queen...not a girl like Sakura with ugly hands and a load of baggage...not just a princess from the enemy kingdom...

" Keili?? Keili are you listening to me?"

Sakura jerked out of her trance and smiled, reassuringly at Tomoyo. Tomoyo grinned back. " I've made a dress for you, Keili, for the wedding. It's pretty plain though, because I couldn't get my hands on the material I wanted-" Tomoyo looked angry but Sakura smiled widely and put her hand on Tomoyo's arm.

Tomoyo cared about her enough to make her a dress. That was enough. Tomoyo smiled back, understanding.

The wedding was tomorrow. Sakura could feel dread down in the pit of her stomach. She had selfishly wished that the wedding could've been prolonged until she was finally free of the curse and would be able to leave....but of course, the wedding had to come as soon as possible.

Once he was married though and made King....what if his views changed? What if he wanted her gone? What if he tried to execute her? Sakura shivered involuntarily. No. Syaoran would never do that.

She didn't quite trust that about Lady Rita though...

Suddenly, she heard cries ringing out. " Prince Xiao-Lang and Lady Rita will make their appearance!" A boy was yelling and it had caused in instant uproar. People began to leap out the castle doors, running across the ground. The gates had opened and Sakura stared wide-eyed at the bustle around them.

She looked questioningly at Tomoyo and Tomoyo looked as shocked as Sakura was. " I can't believe it..." Tomoyo trailed off.

Sakura shook Tomoyo's arm and Tomoyo slowly turned her eyes to Sakura. " Those two are making an appearance in public...as the new King and Queen of the Li Kingdom."

Sakura felt the blood drain from her face and her eyes go round with surprise and shock....and sadness. Tomoyo grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her along with the crowd. Trumpeters were already blaring and a red carpet had already been rolled out, from the steps to the gateway. Sakura and Tomoyo raced along the crowd and fitted themselves at the front, waiting for Syaoran and Lady Rita to appear at the door.

Sakura felt the nervous anticipation of the villagers who had shown up for this event. So many had arrived...she could see the dirty looks the royal family was giving them and Sakura frowned.

In her Kingdom, it was the same thing...but she had never treated the peasants as if they were lower then her.

Suddenly, the trumpets blared to life and everyone's heads swivelled to the gates. Sakura peered through the crowds and gasped.

Syaoran came through the doors first, dressed so handsomely; it made Sakura feel faint. His burning amber eyes blazed and his red coat and white pants looked so finely made....his shoulders broad and his eyes catching the glints of the sun...

Syaoran began to talk, welcoming the kingdom. Sakura could hardly pay any attention to his words for her gaze was fastened on Syaoran's face. This was more serious then a crush, she thought with a sinking heart. Way more serious...

" And here is my bride to be, Lady Rita!" Syaoran announced. Sakura jerked out of her daze and gaped as Lady Rita came through the doors, looking gorgeous. She looked absolutely heavenly and Sakura could hear the sighs of the people around her. Syaoran and Lady Rita looked like the perfect couple...

They held hands and smiled at the crowd and Sakura could feel her heart shattering. It just wasn't fair....it wasn't fair that she had fallen for the Prince of her enemy kingdom. It wasn't fair that she was ugly and deformed, with a load of baggage on her shoulders and the only reason he was even speaking to her was because he was bound to her...

It just wasn't fair..

Suddenly, someone had pushed her from behind. Sakura stumbled and turned around, but no one was there. She shrugged. It was easy to get jostled in such a crowd.

As Syaoran and Lady Rita began their descent down the stairs, she was jostled again, and this time she fell. Biting her lip in pain as her hands were scraped on the gravel, she got up to her feet, looking around herself for the person who had pushed her.

Then someone grabbed her arm, pressing their fingertips into her arm so tightly that she wanted to scream in pain. Tears sprung to her eyes and she whirled around facing a man with a rather cruel smirk on his face.

" Kinomoto bitch, " He swore, spitting on the ground, making Sakura wince. " You're just a little whore, aren't you?"

Sakura tried to back away, eyes widening with fear but the man wrenched her closer to him and she flinched at the smell of alcohol. " We're all itching for a little Kinomoto to torture.....your people killed my brother. My friends. Everyone I loved..." His face twisted up with anger. " You have no rights in our land. And if our prince won't kill you.....we will."

Sakura tried to pull away, searching in vain for Tomoyo, but she was tending to her baby, standing in the front of the crowd. The people around her who most probably noticed but had made no move to help her. He started to drag her in the other direction, but in an act of desperation, she pulled his arm and chomped on it hard.

" WHAT THE HELL?" He howled, dropping her arm, but before she could escape, he had grabbed her hair and pulled a knife out, holding it to her neck.

" You tramp!" He panted out. Grabbing his knife, he slashed at her stomach and her jaw dropped in pain and she wanted to scream as she fell onto her knees, holding her stomach tightly as she felt blood gush through the wound.

" That's what you get, whore," The man growled, disgustingly proud of himself as he tried to grab her again. Anger flooded through Sakura and she began to wildly punch him but he was much stronger then her and had grabbed her arms.

" Keili!" She heard someone scream and faintly realized it was Tomoyo. Then she heard the trumpeters stop and someone pushing through the crowd until they reached Sakura. The man who had grabbed her, let go of her as if she was burning, his eyes widening with shock.

" My....my prince..." He managed to choke out before Syaoran had punched him hard in the face. Sakura felt everything grow blurry as Syaoran punched the man over and over until the man fell to the ground.

He turned to her and she couldn't see anymore, except for the brightness of his eyes. Pain overwhelmed her and she heard him faintly say, " Keili! Keili, dear god, stay awake-"

Then everything went black.

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It was all a haze. She couldn't feel a thing, but she could feel something tugging her....tugging at her, trying to get her to wake up....to open her eyes....

With a jerk, she opened her eyes. A dull pain throbbed at her stomach as her blurry eyes took in her surroundings. She was in a bed, covered with a white sheet. Sunlight streamed through the windows and she could hear people talking.

Rubbing her eyes, Sakura attempted to get up, but then a streak of pain raced through her body and she opened her mouth, wordlessly screaming her pain, but without a sound. Tears rushed to her eyes as someone grabbed her arm and laid her back down.

" Keili, lie down, don't move," The voice said calmly. Sakura turned to the owner of the voice and kind amethyst coloured eyes smiled at her. She attempted to smile back, but she way too tired.

Suddenly, she saw someone storm towards her. " What the hell were you thinking?" She heard the familiar voice yell.

" Syaoran, stop!" Tomoyo protested, but Sakura knew how Syaoran was. He was going to yell.....his only way of showing that he cared.

" What were you thinking, going out in public! You should know that Li people hate Kinomotos! Of course they were going to try something! Something could have happened to you!" Syaoran was yelling, and Sakura could see his face going red, his jaw clenching and unclenching with restrained anger.

Sakura tried to show how sorry she was with her expression but Syaoran didn't seem to notice. " He almost killed you! If that gash were any deeper-you would be dead right now! God, Keili-if something happened to you-if ANYTHING happened to you..."

Sakura strained to hear what he said next, for he whispered it in a soft voice. " I would never be able to forgive myself."

Sakura blinked, confused. It was her fault for going out into public, knowing the Li hatred against her. So why would he be blaming himself? She stared at him, bewildered, as he sat down, his face hidden in his hands.

Sakura suddenly felt the overwhelming need to comfort him. She lifted herself up until she was sitting, trying to hold herself from flinching as her gash sent searing pain through her body and held out a trembling hand, placing it over his arm. His hands dropped from his face, and Sakura saw in a flash, raw emotion on his face.

There was shock, anger, and sadness.....so many emotions swirling in his amber eyes that her own eyes widened in surprise. And in the next instant, it had closed over, the same cool mask barring his heart from the world.

"Keili, you promised me. You promised me that you would never go out without someone with you!" Syaoran's aid, his voice shaking only slightly.

Tomoyo spoke up. " I was with her. Forgive me, your highness, for I did not think that such a thing would've possible happened."

Syaoran took a deep breath and let it out. " It's alright...."

Tomoyo looked beseechingly at Sakura. " Keili? Can you forgive me?"

Sakura smiled, widely and nodded. Why would Tomoyo even ask?

Tomoyo smiled back, but the only one not happy was Syaoran. He was muttering to himself and Sakura leaned forward to hear what he was saying.

" Wedding tomorrow.....need to keep her safe.....Meiling..."

That was all she could hear before his head snapped up. " Keili. Meet me tomorrow at dawn in the garden. Understand?"

Sakura nodded, confused, as Syaoran got up quickly, his eyes hidden by his chestnut bangs. " Remember," He said as he walked out the door.

Tomoyo and Sakura stared after him. Tomoyo clucked and shook her head. " I wonder what that was about."

Sakura shrugged, her eyes still staring at the door where he had disappeared. She didn't know what that was about, either.

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Sakura walked through the dark hallways, a hand at her stomach where her wound was healing. It wasn't a deep cut, but Sakura knew if it were deeper, she probably would have lost too much blood and would have died. She was thankful that her life was saved.....by her saviour, the prince.

Smiling, as she thought of Syaoran, she didn't notice where she was walking, until she bumped into someone. Startled, she looked up and gasped.

It was Duke Jel Tyran.

Staring in fear, she backed away two steps. But the Duke hadn't done anything, only smiled at her with those red eyes blinking with the usual expression of triumph and arrogance.

" Oh sweet Keili, how funny it is to see you! For some reason, I haven't seen you for a long time. I was missing our meetings," He said, softly.

Sakura looked around herself for an exit but finding none. The Duke however was already walking past her. " It is too bad that I don't have time to chat," He said, offhandedly. " I do have an important letter to write to my dear friend, Oribia. Please excuse me."

With those words, he left. Leaving Sakura staring after him in shock and fear, trembling through her body.

....dear friend Oribia....

Oh god. The Duke knew Oribia! Which meant....he knew who Sakura was....and now Oribia knew where she was...

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

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Sakura woke up at the knocking at her back door. Rubbing sleep from her eyes and stroking Kero to stop his barking, she got up. It was dawn....the day the Prince would get married to Lady Rita. The knocking came again and she walked to the door, pausing as she came closer.

She couldn't go opening doors like this! Like Syaoran had said, the Li Kingdom hated her. She couldn't trust anyone...

She waited with baited breath as more knocking came.

" Keili! Open up! It's me!" She heard Syaoran's breathy voice.

Letting out her breath in relief, she opened the door and stared. Syaoran was standing there, his form outlined by the rising sun. He looked so.....she couldn't describe it. His amber eyes burned with a passion that made her breathing hitch, his hair falling into his eyes with a softness that made her want to touch it, his broad shoulders and strong arms....

" Keili? Are you ok?" He asked, breaking her out of her reverie. Sakura nodded, trying to control her rapid heart beating.

" That's good. We can leave then. Right now."

a/n: Who's back? Ye Ye its StarJade! loll, thank you guys for ur patience and ur loyalty to my fic, and thanks for those who couldn't stay by my fic, but still enjoyed it in the past. This story is going along the plot line of Daughter of The Forest, but it is going to be different at the end. All the stories that I've based on something else has a totally different ending....it's my style, I guess! lol.

Tell me what you guys think of this chapter, and give in ur suggestions and comments! I lub u all! lolll,

see ya latez,

starjade